Help! Day 20, can't get the humidity up.

[Bobbi Lou]

I'm incubating is a Little Giant 9300 and the humidity has been pretty constant between 40 and 50%, occasionally jumping to 55%, but then back down for most of the incubation. Now, though, when I'd like to raise the humidity to 55% for hatching, I can't get it above 40, and it's even a little below (38%) at the moment. I have all the water trays filled, and am trying to maintain room humidity. There is no heat running in the house, and I have a humidifier in the room. Perhaps the difference is because I took the second vent plug out to allow adequate ventilation for hatching?
Or, I wonder if my hygrometer is not accurate. It was at 90% last time I looked at it, then jumped back down to 38%. That was the only time I've seen that happen, though. It's been pretty steady around 38%-40% since I took out the vent plug.
Any suggestions? I know too little humidity can cause sticking to membranes, but they need adequate ventilation too....
Thanks!

 

[Bradfordj]

I would try to verify the accuracy of your hydrometer. You can use warmer water, and things like sponges and paper towel which are wet to increase humidity. The more surface area of wet objects the higher your humidity will get. The ventilation is required, but sometimes can make it difficult to increase humidity.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Salt test:

Milk cap size container filled with salt.

Add drops of water until wet sand consistency not slurry.

Place hygrometer and container of salt into a zip seal sandwich or quart size bag allowing air to form pillow when sealed.

Wait 6 hours and note the reading on hygrometer. The salt environment will actually be 75%.

Subtract your reading from 75 and mark that on tape to affix to incubator to remind you of calibration.

EX: Your reading is 82, 75-82= -7. You'll always subtract 7 from your readings to be true.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I suspect hygrometers being off when people can't get to desired humidity. After calibrating if you are actually low then as Bradforj said damp sponges work wonders they provide very large surface area.

 

[Bobbi Lou]

Thanks y'all!
It's a digital heater, though, so the hygrometer/thermometer is a small cord attached directly to the heater. So testing it would be a little hard for two reasons: (a) It cannot come out of the incubator. Any testing I did right now would have to be with the lid off the incubator, or the testing would have to happen inside the incubator. And (b) since it is an attached cord, I would not be able to fully seal the bag, which would presumably throw off the test.
I see what I think is a small amount of condensation on the inside of the glass, and when I put my hand in there I could feel the humidity. Should I just leave it for this hatch and try to figure out a way to calibrate for next time, or is there an alternative method?

 

[Bradfordj]

If you see condensation I would feel safe saying your hydrometer is out to lunch, and keep the way it is.